


Veils of Hearts

by Sarsbabe77



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alec Lightwood Feels, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Communication Failure, Demonic Possession, Eventual Smut, F/M, Hurt Jace Wayland, Hurt Magnus Bane, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Miscommunication, Out of Character, Parabatai Tracking, Post-Season/Series 02 Finale, Protective Alec Lightwood, Protective Jace Wayland, Protective Magnus Bane, Read at Own Risk, Season/Series 02 Spoilers, Torture, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-14 19:50:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13014942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarsbabe77/pseuds/Sarsbabe77
Summary: Magnus never thought he'd ever do this, despite all his centuries tripping and diving in and out of numerous liaisons.Only Alexander could have caused this catalyst - destroyed the veils surrounding Magnus' heart - and led him to arrive at this decision.In which Magnus sacrifices himself for Jace.





	1. Revelations

**Author's Note:**

> Any Magnus or Alec or Jace fan reading this may need lots of tissues. Or maybe a nice big bowl of ice cream. I Love Malec and Magnus and Alec in all variations. This is just something I had to express out from within the depths of my dark heart. While trying to deal with waiting til April 2018.

Clary'a chest heaved fearfully as she struggled against the invisible bonds holding her captive. Her pixie like features were bloodied with scratches and sweat smudges ran down her flushed cheeks. She fought back unbidden tears as the acrid smell of demonic smoke billowed throughout the sprawled open space she was in. Head pounding with the multiple slaps she'd received, she tried her hardest to maintain her composure, even as guilt and regret rolled through her gut in intense waves. 

It had all seemed so simple and straightforward. A light dinner at the Jade Wolf, like any other alternate night for the past few weeks, as Jace attempted to avoid questioning sessions from a worried Alec. An abrupt tip off from one of the werewolves about Sebastian being sighted at an abandoned warehouse, an estimated 10 minutes' brisk walk away. A quick hushed discussion to not inform Alec, who had left the Institute early to have a long-awaited intimate dinner with Magnus. Jace had reasoned that his one-to-one confrontation with Sebastian had been long overdue.  
He had refused to involve Alec for fear of him discovering the nature of his Parabatai's 'survival'. 

That decision had proved foolhardy and dangerous. Multiple chains of various thickness, some with sharp spikes, were draped across Jace's torso, pinning him against a pillar in the center of the warehouse. The more he tried to free a limb or even wriggled, the tighter the chains wound themselves around him, imbued with dark demonic magic. Blood oozed from numerous wounds splattered across his chest, sides and abdomen. Heaving with exhaustion, Jace hung his head with his eyes tightly shut, trying his best not to give in to the crushing despair within his soul. His Parabatai rune throbbed and ached, a worrying sign that Alec had been alerted of his injuries. 

Sebastian stood a few steps away from them both, face a mask of deceptive calm, eyes gleaming a chilling black, his entire being radiating hatred and vengeance. He had come out of hiding, just to pay a visit to his beloved sister, and the 'brother' he had never had the chance to love. Now they could finally have their much-needed family discussion. 

"All I wanted was a family reunion. Was that so difficult to achieve?" He stalked slowly like a panther towards Clary. 

She lifted her head to glare daggers into his eyes, disgust twisting her features into a brazen smirking grimace. "Family? You have no idea what that word means. And it's not Jace's fault. It's mine. I'm the one who first wanted to kill you. And I'm gonna keep trying til I get it done right."

Sebastian drew a sharp breath in and held it, then threw his head back with an abruptly loud chuckle. His arms moved suddenly to wrap around Clary's torso, even as she struggled instictively with a cut off scream caught in her throat. He pressed his forehead to hers, forcing her to keep her head up. A sickening smile spread across his face, as her eyes reluctantly met his unflinching gaze. 

"You keep on trying, dearest sister, and I shall keep on searching for you each and every single time, after my mother raises me from the ashes of my burnt being. Over and over, she will never fail me, not like you have!"  
The last few words were spat out at her venomously, while he shoved her against the other side of the pillar holding Jace captive. 

Out of the fading smoke in the background, shimmers of an emerging portal appeared, revealing Alec stepping hurriedly out with Magnus closely behind him.  
"Jace! Why didn't you call me?" 

Jace hesitantly lifted his head to gaze pleadingly at his Parabatai. "Alec, you shouldn't have come. I deserve this. I was never meant to survive." He stopped with an agonized gasp as the chains enwrapping him began to tighten ominously. The spikes dug into his wounds, enlarging them and digging deeper with every heaved breath. Beside him Clary sobbed intermittently, her tears flowing unchecked down her bruised cheeks. 

Alec lurched forward in a surge of panic. "Stop this now, Sebastian! Tell us what it is you really want!" His eyes glimmered with fury laced with desperation. 

From behind him Magnus shot a glance of dread towards Sebastian, whose features had smoothened to his default mask of nonchalance. Magnus felt his heart drop as realization hit him with blinding clarity, as his gaze swept from Jace to Clary, taking note of their broken expressions. There would be dire repercussions from tonight. None of them were leaving unscathed. The power Sebastian yielded over them was insidious and encompassing. He held all their hearts, and possibly indeed their souls, within his tainted grasp. 

Sebastian walked up towards Alec, and Magnus began rubbing his fingers readying his powers. His instincts were blaring at him to grab Alec and hurl him through a portal back to the Institute. In deference to Alec's need to rescue his Parabatai, he reined in his urges with great effort, keeping his gaze focused on Sebastian. 

Unexpectedly, Sebastian strolled past Alec, and stopped right in front of Magnus, having glided into the space in between the couple. Alec whirled around, his eyes widening with fear, then narrowed in suspicion.  
"What do you want with Magnus?" His tone was clipped with anger yet softened with dread. 

Magnus gestured at Alec with his hands, silently requesting his boyfriend to stay still. He maintained a steady stare into Sebastian's glowering glare.  
"You interfering fool. You think you've seen it all, been there, done that, haven't you? Well you haven't actually had the pleasure of encountering my mother, have you, High Warlock? Even though you know of her through your father, hm maybe I should address you as Your Highness?" The term was drawled out mockingly as Sebastian locked gazes with Magnus. 

From the outskirts of his vision, Magnus observed Alec pausing in his valiant attempts to free Jace. Alec whipped around to stare at his boyfriend, pinning his gaze with unerring accuracy. "Magnus. What is he saying about you?" He enquired in a deceptively calm manner, which beheld a wave of queasy uneasiness. His eyes bore into Magnus' unyieldingly, demanding and expecting a reasonable reply. 

In all his many years of existence, Magnus didn't think he'd ever experienced this feeling of absolute utter dread. Was he ready for Alec to truly know all about his origins? And was Alec ready for the barrage of issues surely to befall upon them once that knowledge was revealed? Before Magnus could even draw in a fortifying breath, Clary unleashed a bloodcurdling scream. "Jace!"

Alec and Magnus could only stare helplessly, as Jace sputtered blood out from his lips. Gasps and wet coughs wracked his tortured frame. Greenish-blue lines had crept up his arms and neck, and were spreading across his bloodied jaw. Poison had been transmitted via the spikes which had stabbed him, Magnus realized with anguish sweeping through his own veins. His beloved Alexander would soon lose his Parabatai, and no matter what Magnus did to comfort him, would never be enough. Nobody could replace Jace in Alec's heart and soul. 

"Jace Herondale, I hereby sentence you to your second death, as witnessed by your lover, your Parabatai, and his lover - the son of Asmodeus, Prince of Hell. May your soul remain forever tortured in the depravity of Edom, where my mother resides and wields unimaginable power." With those words, Sebastian lifted his hands and twirled his fingers, in a horrifying motion of tightening the spiky chains yet again. 

"Stop! Stop this now Sebastian. Let them all go and we can discuss this. Just you and I and our parents." Magnus said urgently as he stepped away from Sebastian and walked briskly towards Alec. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around his love, and whisper words of reassurance and comfort into his ears. For now he had to settle for pressing a calming hand onto Alec's chest, right over his pounding heart. Alec glanced down at his gesture, then shot an accusing glare straight into Magnus' loving gaze. 

"Your father is Asmodeus? Why haven't you told me? What did he mean by Jace's second death? And his mother's in Edom? She raised him from death?? And now she wants Jace as payback? And you're offering to go with Sebastian to Edom?? Magnus, what's the meaning of all of this?!" Alec's voice grew louder with each sentence, as he struggled to breathe evenly. He looked spooked and shaken to the core, his hands grasping almost painfully onto Magnus' right one placed over his heart. 

With his heart breaking apart at witnessing his Alexander's despair, Magnus brought his arms up, reaching for Alec's neck in an attempt to calm him. In a sudden movement Alec grabbed his arms and hauled him close, only to stare him down with frustration pouring out from his being. "Stop trying to distract me! You haven't answered me. What. Does. This. All. Mean?!" The last few words were accompanied by Alec wrenching Magnus away from him, making him stumble and almost fall with the unexpected shove. 

"Alec," Jace wheezed with great effort. His face was ashen with blood loss, with beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, mingling with the tears seeping from his eyes. "Don't blame Magnus." He whispered weakly, his gleaming gaze fixed upon his Parabatai. His lips quirked shakily into a tender smile. "He's just trying to help me. 'Cause I'm your Parabatai, and he loves you." He stopped to cough out clots of blood, doubling over in a slump to the floor, the chains having finally been released by Sebastian with a sweeping motion of his hands. 

Alec hurriedly crouched down to support Jace, nearly tripping over Magnus' feet in his haste. Clary gasped out in surprise as the unseen bonds holding her were banished by a flick of Sebastian's wrist. She fell to her knees with trembling sobs, shooting Sebastian a baleful yet defiant glare. "So that's it? You just wanted to torture Jace for being brought back to life? I did that! I asked Raziel to return him to us. Why don't you take me to your mother instead?!" Clary finished with a daring lift of her chin in Sebastian's direction. 

Alec raised his head to stare uncomprehendingly at Clary. "You did what??" He swooped down to grab Jace by the neck, in a heartbreakingly familiar gesture. "Please tell me you're still - you, you're still You, right? You, you didn't leave -" -a shaky inhale- "you didn't leave any part of you behind? Are you-" He broke off with a shudder, tears glimmering along his lower lashes. "That's why, that's - you've changed, you're not yourself, you - you left part of yourself there huh."

Sniffling at his Parabatai's anguish, Jace could only nod, realizing that no words were adequate to describe all that had transpired. His untimely death by Valentine, his unseemingly impossible resurrection via Clary's wish granted by the Archangel Raziel, his recurrent nightmares and emotionally compromised existence causing him to drift away from Alec. All had been revealed at last. 

Sebastian stalked over to them, his smirk twisting his lips in a gruesome depiction of his amusement. "How quaint, these bonds of feelings and emotions that you all seem to possess. So much love amongst you! If only that were sufficient to sustain you."

In the blink of an eye, Sebastian wriggled his fingers, bringing gusts of smoky winds hurling toward his captives. With a whirl of movement, Magnus summoned his magic, from deep within the recesses of his soul, unlocking the parts he had hidden away for centuries. The surrounding atmosphere shimmered with crackling energy, harnessed and manipulated by Magnus' dancing fingers, contained within a spherical shape supported by the palms of his hands. 

"You see, Magnus, I'm done with discussions. I've tried that before, didn't do me any good at all. Now I believe in the saying 'action speaks louder than words'. Don't you? My mother demands a replacement if for whatever reason I'm unable to retrieve Jace. Would you be so willing to fulfill her demands?" Sebastian fixed Magnus with a reproachful glare. "After all, you were the one who sealed off my way back from Edom. Aside from being the one true love of Jace's Parabatai, of course. So I figure, since I can't have one half of the great Alec Lightwood's soul-" -he shot Alec a triumphant glance- "I shall claim the other half."

Magnus grunted in sudden distress, as he struggled valiantly to move his arms. It seemed that some unseen immovable force had a strong hold on him. His ball of magic disappeared with a whirl of demonic wind, leaving him choking on the cloying smoke. 

"Magnus!" Alec cried out, reaching out for him, only to be hurled backwards and slammed into the surface of the pillar. The same invisible bonds which had held Clary captive, were now holding his body down, from his shoulders all the way down to his ankles. No amount of thrashing around rendered him free. 

The chains with poisonous spikes which had been discarded onto the floor, were now engulfed in a billow of thick rolls of the very same smoke surrounding Magnus, and they were carried along as if drifting in wind, ending their eerie journey by wrapping themselves all around Magnus' shoulders, chest and abdomen. Alec openly wept with tears spilling from his eyes, unable and unwilling to look away, as Magnus groaned and gasped in pain, blood gushing copiously from the numerous stab wounds inflicted by the spikes. "No, no please -" -Alec wrenched his gaze away from his beloved boyfriend, and fixed a furious glare at Sebastian- "Let him go! Take me instead!"

An ugly cackling sound rose from Sebastian's throat. He shook his head regretfully in unabashedly gleeful remorse and a click of his tongue. "Oh Alec, ever-ready saviour hm? Well nothing and no one can save your boyfriend now. He's made a deal with me, and I'm part demon. Deals made with us aren't meant to be broken, or there'll be literal Hell to pay. Didn't you get that memo, oh esteemed Head of The Institute?" 

Alec could only grit his teeth in fury, his heart painfully shredded to pieces by the horrible sounds of Magnus' agony. Jace and Clary huddled together weakly, their hands clasped tightly with one another's. Clary's head was pressed against the side of Jace's neck, her cheek placed over his thready fluttering pulse. 

"So Magnus, how about it, are you ready? For me to present you to my mother as a peace offering on Jace's behalf? I'm sure she'd be delighted by a visit from the son of Prince Asmodeus himself." Sebastian chuckled darkly, folding his arms around himself in an eerie sort of gleeful anticipation. 

Magnus never thought he'd ever do this, despite all his centuries tripping and diving in and out of numerous liaisons. 

Only Alexander could have caused this catalyst - destroyed the veils surrounding Magnus' heart - and led him to arrive at this decision. 

With obvious effort, Magnus drew in a slow, deep breath. His eyes searched for Alec's, and found his beloved's tear-filled stare. He willed himself to offer a tremulous, tender smile, whilst summoning boundless love for his Alexander into his heartfelt gaze. 

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he replied, "Yes I am ready, bring me to your mother."


	2. Revenant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "'Cause like you said yourself, you're my Parabatai, and he loves me. Apologies won't get him back, but I will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Returned, or returning? Remnant, or remains? Retrospection required.

"Yes I am ready, bring me to your mother."

Before Alec could summon enough of his strength to form any sort of speech, both Magnus and Sebastian were swiftly engulfed within a swirl of dense black smoke, much like a terrifying typhoon.

Then there remained just three shaken Shadowhunters.

Winded wheezing filled the abruptly quiet air, as Alec fell forward onto his hands and knees, tears streaming freely down his cheeks. "No. No! Magnus. By the angel," he gasped, his face ashen and his breaths coming in and out with huffed puffs, "Jace! He's - he's in Edom! He's - his powers, they didn't - they didn't work! They won't work in there! Sebastian, he, his mother - his mother - she's powerful enough to take Magnus!" Alec had maneuvered his body into a crouch, with his hands now grasping his head. He looked utterly shaken and frightened, and oh so vulnerably young and unsure.

"She's Lilith," Jace whispered, his voice rough with guilt. "Sebastian's mother is Lilith, Alec," he continued, drawing in a deep breath, only to start coughing and spitting out dark globs of blood. His injured body shivered in shock, despite Clary's attempts to hug her petite frame around him.

With a sharp inhale, Alec drew himself up onto his feet, twisting his torso to reach out to Jace. He cautiously placed Jace's right arm around his mid-back, while he gradually helped to lift him up to a standing position. Clary shakily stumbled onto her own unsteady footing, breathing deeply with effort to control her emotions. Her arms wrapped around Jace's abdomen in an attempt to help support him. She swept anxious glances up and down Jace's injuries, tears welling up and clouding her vision.

"I should have called you, Alec. I'm so sorry." She sniffled and blinked rapidly to stem her flow of tears. "Maybe if I did, then you could have gathered more of us, before coming to confront Sebastian. Then maybe Magnus - Magnus wouldn't have, have been captured-" she gasped out, her chest heaving with heartwrenching sobs. She felt overwhelmed with wracking guilt and regret, remorse dancing somberly across her features.

Jace wrapped his left arm tightly around his girlfriend, shushing her tenderly, "I was the one who told you not to call Alec," -he shot a guilty look at his Parabatai- "you couldn't have known all this would happen," he argued.

Alec huffed then chuckled darkly, the sound of it awfully dry rattling in his throat. His features twisted into a grimace as he shook his head ruefully. "She couldn't have known huh? Just like you couldn't have? You didn't think it was vital to inform me? Putting aside the fact that I'm the Head of the Institute, I'm also your Parabatai." He nearly spat out the last few words right into Jace's face. "Or did your time in there, wherever you were, make you forget that? Forget about me??"

Jace could only hang his head in deep remorse. No matter what he said, it would not bring Magnus back. He tried his best to take a step forward, only to stumble as his knees gave way. He would have fallen to the floor, if Alec had not caught him by his shoulders just in time. In one swift movement, Alec had crouched down enough to hoist his Parabatai up over his own shoulders, in a fireman's carry.

"You think that portal rune of yours can get us to the Institute's infirmary?" Alec directed the question to Clary, yet he would not meet her timid gaze. His brows were furrowed in a worried scowl, and his jaw clenched intermittently, as his fingers trembled with trapped energy. "I'd really like to get your daredevil boyfriend there for our medics to fix him, without alerting the entire Institute to another of his haphazard jaunts," he finished somewhat bitterly.

Clary drew herself up in a familiar stance, readying herself for carrying out Alec's request. Using her stele she etched out the rune onto her palm, then pictured the Institute's infirmary in her mind, and with that she willed the portal into existence as she pushed the image out from her mind's eye, her arm stretched out with her palm facing outwards.

Alec stepped into the portal with Jace draped across his shoulders, not once looking back at Clary. She heaved in a fortifying breath and followed them in. In a heartbeat they emerged on the other side, stepping through and onto the floor of the infirmary.

The two medics who had been seated at the nearby desk scrambled up to receive Jace from their institute's Head, shooting bewildered glances at each other yet neither dared asked anything of Alec. He graced them with a nod of his head, relinquishing his hold of Jace to their capable hands. "Please purge the demonic poison from his system, appreciate the help, thank you." They both nodded and briskly set to work.

"She needs a look at later too, those bruises on her face may also mean she has head injuries. Would appreciate it if she had scans done," Alec continued in a tone that was more instruction rather than suggestion. Both medics nodded to that with understanding looks on their faces. They knew their Head well enough to realize that even though he spoke brusquely, he still cared enough to request for medical attention for Clary.

"Alec," Jace called out in a weak rasp, "for what it's worth - I'm so sorry." One of the medics injected a clear fluid into his left arm, causing him to slump back onto his pillow, eyes rolling around dazedly.

The other medic gently but firmly pushed Clary into a semi-lying position onto the trolley next to Jace's. As her head was being carefully examined by the medic, she stared at Alec's stiff unforgiving form as she whispered, "So am I, Alec," with a stifled sob.

Alec gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw tightly, his fingers folded into fists. He drew himself up to stand ramrod straight with his feet wide apart, as if to strengthen himself, the picture perfect soldier. Hazel gaze hardened with determination, he replied, "While they sound good, your apologies won't change the fact that Magnus gave himself up in exchange for you, Jace. 'Cause like you said yourself, you're my Parabatai, and he loves me. Apologies won't get him back, but I will."

With that parting shot, Alec turned on his heel and left. He walked briskly to his office, barely acknowledging the nods given by his subordinates as he passed them by in a blur. Anguish was ripping up his heart, turmoil roiling through his mind. Bitter bile rose at the back of his throat, making him feel as if he was choking on his own saliva. He stumbled blindly into his office, falling across his couch in a crumble, his mind replaying the night's dizzying events.

Magnus had been taken to Edom. The one realm untrackable by and thus virtually inaccessible to all Nephilim. His boyfriend the High Warlock of Brooklyn, the best and most powerful warlock in all of New York, possibly the only one with enough powers to open or close pathways to Edom - now was being held as hostage in that very realm.

Alec growled in helpless frustration, feeling his eyes burn yet again with hot tears. 'Crying again Alec, really?', his inner voice hissed at him. 'As if all your tears are gonna be of any help to Magnus!' He rose from the couch only to pace frantically in front of his office's fireplace. Something plastic from underneath the clock on top of the mantle caught his eye. With trembling fingers, he pulled it out and gazed down upon it.

It was his copy of their photo booth pictures taken in Tokyo. Their tender glances and sweet smiles replayed themselves in Alec's memory, in vivid imageries of their shared night together. He could hardly believe it was just weeks ago, when he and Magnus fed each other sushi and sashimi, and Alec had remarked that he found tempura to be a delight. How Magnus had chuckled with that achingly familiar tilt of his head, as he gazed upon Alec lovingly. How easily Alec had blushed, when Magnus whispered in his ear that he was a delight in his eyes as well.

Alec clutched their pictures close to his chest, recalling how surprised Magnus had been, at his gift of the omamori. He had been so charmed by Alec's gesture, his eyes gleaming with pleasure, his cheeks flushed with warmth radiating throughout his whole frame. As Alec held him close and moved to plant a sweet kiss on his lips, only to be rudely interrupted by Jace's loud chuckles vibrating across the loft.

Jace. Interrupting them, multiple times. Now Jace was the reason why Magnus was trapped in Edom.

Another growl of frustration ripped from Alec's throat. He flung himself back onto the couch, his fingers still holding carefully onto the photo booth pictures. Why did all this have to happen? Each and every time he felt true happiness start to blossom for him, something tragic or impending doom had to swoop in and destroy all traces of joy in its path. Leaving behind bitter regret and more questions than revealing any answers.

Alec was exhausted. He felt physically and emotionally wrung dry, as if all his remaining energy had drained away from his body. If Magnus were with him, he would most likely wrap his strong yet gentle arms around him, then maneuver his tall frame to lie across the couch, with his head arranged on Magnus' lap.

But Magnus was not at his side right then. Magnus would need Alec to stay strong and determined. He needed him to turn over every lead, look into any possible pathway, that could possibly return Magnus to him. Hopefully he would not be too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we've gotten a new date for Season 3's premiere! March 20th, yaass. For now, onward we go. Or should that be, downward?
> 
> Pls note:- I'm going on a short trip and will resume work on this once I'm back. For now do accept this offering. *wriggles fingers*


	3. Reversal - Uno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus coughed up a large clot of dark blood. He felt what little strength he had wavering, the surrounding atmosphere stifling and choking his throat deeply with its tendrils of hot ash. With reddish dust clinging to his lashes, Magnus peered blearily at Lilith, who flashed him an oily gruesome parody of a smile. 
> 
> "Behold, Magnus," she hissed slitheringly, "Your long-awaited, much anticipated family reunion." With a rather graceful wave of her arm, the blackened veils over one of the cave's various entrances parted wide open. From beyond the pitch dark void out stepped -  
> "Greetings, my son," the slick cunningly smooth voice intoned. "It's been centuries since we met huh?" There, dressed in a rich deep purple three-piece suit, stood Asmodeus, Prince of Edom, Magnus' father. "I've missed you dearly, during all these years."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So..... Edom and Lilith and Asmodeus in here are my own interpretations.  
> Lilith as we know now is Anna Hopkins. Featuring Godfrey Gao as Asmodeus.  
> Google him up *grins cheekily*
> 
> Any Magnus fan (myself) - please be forewarned of torture and maybe have a box of tissues ready beside you. This will not be pretty.  
> Or otherwise known as - Magnus 'reunites' with Asmodeus.

"Yes I am ready, bring me to your mother."

Dense black smoke whirled all around Magnus, its thick tendrils forcing itself deep into his throat, robbing him of his breath. The last sound he heard of his dear Alexander was him screaming his name in anguished tones, then all he could hear were the choked sounds of his own gasping.

Darkness descended upon him, blinding his already bleary sight, even as he valiantly blinked away his tears. How torn he felt, leaving his beloved behind, when they had only recently reconciled. The only worthy consolation was that he'd done it so his Alexander's Parabatai would be safe and sound, right by his side.

Cackling chuckles arose from the shadowy spaces surrounding him. Sebastian, or rather Jonathan now, as he had well revealed his heart's desires to his 'family' earlier, merely to become the Jonathan Christopher he'd been named at his birth. It didn't seem fitting nor indeed respectful to still think of him with the name of a fallen innocent Shadowhunter.

Jonathan emerged from beyond the veils of shadows, a sickening smirk lurking on his lips. His eyes gleamed as darkly as pitch black night, as he drew gradually closer to where Magnus was. He looked absolutely delighted, almost like a gleeful child awaiting to unwrap his present.

Invisible bonds held Magnus high up in the dank air, his arms stretched upwards, straining straight up high above his head. His hands had been bound tightly with thick black sludge which had hardened painfully.

Dark gray tendrils of thick smoke had replaced the previous chains, and they curled all around his body, from his shoulders all the way down to his ankles, intermittently squeezing him and making him wheeze pitifully for breath.

Open wounds bled copiously all over his torso, where he'd been previously pierced deeply by the poisoned spikes on the chains whilst inside the warehouse.

Bluish gray veins had crept up his neck and jaw, and were now eerily spreading across his cheeks. Despite all of his apparent agony, his deep golden cat eyes gleamed with daring defiance.

Magnus struggled to hold onto his consciousness, shaking his head intermittently to rid of the curtaining darkness within it. He took stock of his gloomy surroundings, taking note of its immense vastness. Were these Lilith's chambers, hidden away from the rest of Edom itself?

Far off in the distance, several half-moon shaped entrances had been carved out by glittering dark gray stalagmites, risen out from ashened grounds. Many were stained with maroon streaks of red dust, swirls of it drifting along interspersed with black ash. Reddish clay-like walls surrounded the massive enclave, giving off a garishly bloody appearance.

At dead center of the enclave, a sort of pool had been dug deep into the rocky grounds, filled with thick gooey black sludge. The same sludge entrapping Magnus' hands, preventing him from utilizing his magic. Steam rose from it in misty waves, floating upwards and dissipating into the pitch black darkness above. Bubbles formed amidst the surface, growing larger only to burst with loud abrupt pops, its sounds echoing off the walls.

From the very midst of the sludge pool, a slender figure began slithering out, sliding upwards into a standing position. The shape appeared to be that of a woman, with slicked back long hair, slim shoulders, small breasts and slender hips, tapering down to shapely legs. She was smothered from head to toe with sludge, parts of it slipping off with sploshes into the pool, as she made her way out almost regally, stepping near elegantly onto the ground.

Jonathan had walked forward toward her, his expression reverent and almost loving. As she came to a halt and stood staring at Magnus with glowing red eyes, Jonathan dropped to his knees and bowed his head to her, closing his eyes in apparent devotion.

"Mother," he exhaled in a measured, gentle tone, "I have brought you a gift. One which will please you greatly, I hope," he finished in a lilting tone, looking up at her with unrestrained hope shining on his face.

She looked down then, raising her arms to place her hands almost tenderly onto Jonathan's cheeks, staining them gruesomely with the sludge. He didn't seem to mind, indeed nuzzling his cheeks into her hands, much like a child would with its mother.

"My son," she spoke up in a hissing slithering manner, her voice sounding young and ancient all at once, its pitch modulated to that of a young adult woman's. "You have outdone yourself, my dearest Jonathan," she continued, stroking her hands down his neck and landing on his shoulders, her eyes staring down at him.

Jonathan looked almost giddy with glee, a wide grin forming on his lips. He'd pleased his mother! She deserved it, after all the injustice she had endured throughout these centuries. It was high time for her to regain all that she had lost, and he would do his absolute best to retrieve whatever she asked of him; he would willingly die trying. After all, she was the very reason he'd even existed, his saviour and salvation.

"Lilith, I presume," Magnus choked out with obvious effort, shuddering with the effects of the poison in his system. The bluish streaks had bloomed underneath his eye sockets, giving him a gruesome appearance. He looked to be the very epitome of a tortured soul, his fate hanging in the balance, much like his severely injured body hung limp, slowly swinging aimlessly in empty air. His face was absolutely ashen, blood loss having taken a great toll on him. How Alec would weep if he saw his beloved boyfriend in this condition.

"Magnus," Lilith breathed, gliding steadily toward him, in measured methodical paces. Her glowing ember-like eyes seemed to burn even brighter, every step she took closer to Magnus. The air surrounding them seemed to change in quality, its eerie essence twisting into a sort of whirlwind, whipping her hair back from her head, as her previously placid expression rearranged itself into one of smug satisfaction.

"After all these centuries we both have endured -" - her words floating around him in smoky swirls - "sentenced to spend eternal lifetimes trapped within our separate confines -" - she began gliding around him in circles, getting closer with each turn - "only to come together in this very realm, ruled so splendidly by your father."

She threw him a sly sideways stare, smirking in satisfaction when she saw him swallowing valiantly at the mention of his father. "The great esteemed Prince Asmodeus," she breathed in reverence, "my lord, my liege," - she paused both in speech and stride, staring right into his eyes, dark red clashing with deep gold - "my lover."

Magnus choked violently on a sudden inhale, his heart plummeting deep within his gut with an icy cold plunge. Just as he struggled to regain his breath, Lilith surged forward, raising her arms high up above her, and grabbed his neck with both of her small hands, squeezing slow and tight, smiling up at him almost benevolently.

"Why Magnus," she giggled gruesomely, her hands applying vicious pressure around his neck, "didn't you know? And here I was informed that you were such a knowledgeable and experienced, all-powerful High Warlock."

Her thumbs pressed deeply into the vulnerable pulse point in the center of Magnus' throat, and she watched with lazy amusement as he thrashed violently, his whole being shuddering as his breath supply was being brutally cut off. His face was turning a horridly deep purple and his cat eyes dimmed considerably, as he slowly slumped within the unseen bonds keeping him strung up.

Jonathan had kept a close distance behind Lilith, his arms held behind his back, as if standing at attention, seemingly ready to be at his mother's beck and call. Now as she held Magnus by his neck, Jonathan stepped forward next to her, and with one swift motion, plunged his non-glowing seraph blade deep into Magnus' abdomen, all the while staring up at him with a playful smirk.

Magnus doubled over in a reflexive slump, his mouth hanging open in a half-formed gasp, as blood began gushing out of the deep stab wound. Jonathan let go of his hold on the dagger, leaving it buried to its hilt, dead center of Magnus' tortured torso. It shook precariously with every slow shivering inhale he took.

Lilith released her grip of his neck, throwing her head back in an abrupt cackle. "Ahh look, Jonathan!" she gushed gleefully, "the magnificent Magnus Bane himself, High Warlock of Brooklyn, now strung up high within my chambers! What an interesting day it's become, after such long periods of insufferable boredom. I have you to thank for this, my son." She turned to him and reached out a hand to stroke his cheek in a motherly gesture.

Jonathan fairly vibrated with glee, chuckles emitting from his throat. "Only the best for you, Mother," he replied sincerely, bobbing his blond head in a little bow. "Shall we reveal him to -?" He paused with a sideways smirk in Magnus' direction.

Lilith's gaze followed his, and she scoffed shortly, nodding sleekly in acquiescence. "Yes we shall," she granted gracefully.

Magnus coughed up a large clot of dark blood. He felt what little strength he had wavering, the surrounding atmosphere stifling and choking his throat deeply with its tendrils of hot ash. With reddish dust clinging to his lashes, Magnus peered blearily at Lilith, who flashed him an oily gruesome parody of a smile.

"Behold, Magnus," she hissed slitheringly, "Your long-awaited, much anticipated family reunion." With a rather graceful wave of her arm, the blackened veils over one of the cave's various entrances parted wide open. From beyond the pitch dark void out stepped -

"Greetings, my son," the slick cunningly smooth voice intoned. "It's been centuries since we met huh?" There, dressed in a rich deep purple three-piece suit, stood Asmodeus, Prince of Edom, Magnus' father. "I've missed you dearly, during all these years."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry? *sniffles* I'll try to make things better in the next chapter.... *shrugs*
> 
> I Love Magnus with all my previously frozen heart, and I had to stop writing at that point. Partly due to me having been a Harry Shum Jr fan since his Step up days, all through his career, how my insides weep at all this torture! 
> 
> Yet my Angst and Feels muse just won't let up *wails into the void* Listening to Ruelle while writing this fic seems oddly therapeutic.


	4. Reversal - Dos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asmodeus stood looming over the crouched frame of his son, his arms spread wide as if to hug him, only to jerk upwards with a sudden quick burst of reddish magic spewing from his large hands, zapping sharply at Magnus' bleeding abdominal stab wound. 
> 
> "You dare defy me yet again?" he hissed in fury, his dark greenish gold eyes blazing as he glared down at Magnus' writhing form. "Perhaps I should send Jonathan to return to the New York Institute, just to fetch your dearly beloved Nephilim, bring him here as incentive for your obedience, hm?"
> 
> Magnus shuddered violently, his hands clutching at his viciously throbbing abdomen, his insides burning with nauseating agony, causing him to wheeze and cough out clots of dark blood. With the very last vestiges of his waning willpower, he whispered pleadingly, "No, Father, please don't, I'll -" - he gulped in a brave breath - "I'll do as you ask. Just please - please don't harm Alexander."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even more torture? *wails*

"I've missed you dearly, during all these years."

With those words, Asmodeus glided closer to Magnus, his steps slow and deliberate, his long legs moving forward in measured strides. Twisted vines of a metal-like barbed wiring formed a crown of sorts, perched on his head full of sleek dark hair. Thick brows graced a broad forehead, and his greenish gold eyes glowed with insidious power. He looked every inch the 'royalty' he had eked himself out to be. Lithe and lethal.

"I've kept my eye on you, son," Asmodeus shared airily, as if speaking to Magnus over the breakfast table. "After hundreds of years swearing off any unnecessary contact with Shadowhunters, you have allowed your previously impenetrable heart to be ensnared by one."

Here he smirked, his eyes narrowing dangerously, "And not just any normal Nephilim, if there was such a thing, but a Lightwood." Asmodeus hissed the name whilst circling Magnus, his handsome features twisted in an ugly scowl. "Descended from vile Circle members who had attempted to murder our kin. Or had you conveniently forgotten it all, once you laid eyes on your precious Alexander, hm?"

Magnus trembled tremulously, his breaths coming in shallow pants. His stab wound ached and burned deeply, robbing him of the capability to think straight. As courageous and defiant as he was, his own father never failed to make him break out in a cold sweat.

There was sheer malice within Asmodeus, oozing out of his core, and he took great pride in using it to manipulate his own offspring into doing his bidding. It had always been a mere matter of time, before it was Magnus' turn yet again.

"All those warlocks you had painstakingly rescued from his parents and their peers," Asmodeus continued, "only to be murdered by Valentine's subordinates in their search for you. And yet, instead of seeking vengeance on their behalf, you sought out your own perverted pleasures," he hissed in an almost proud manner, "much like I would have, if faced with such exquisite beauty such as your beloved Nephilim's."

Asmodeus came to a stop right in front of Magnus, his arms held loosely behind his back. He towered over his son, being of the same height as Alec. The irony was not lost on Magnus, his heart throbbing wretchedly at the thought of his dear Alexander. 'He must be beside himself with worry. My love, how I wish for nothing but peace for you. Nothing like the turmoil I've put you through in the past. Forgive me for all the pain I've caused you, Alexander."

Magnus willed himself not to appear weak in front of his father. That would only cause Asmodeus to taunt and ridicule him further. He gazed upwards, looking deep into his father's eyes. Deep gold clashed with greenish gold, as both men locked gazes.

"Father," Magnus wheezed out, struggling to maintain his composure. His abdomen was sluggishly oozing dark blood, not only from his stab wound, but also from the various garish gashes dotted along his chest and sides. "Forgive my indiscretions. I am only a mere half-human, after all," he tried to reason, his heart feeling as if it was lodged within his throat.

Asmodeus' formerly smooth features morphed into a furious scowl. "Mere half-human?!" he hissed threateningly, lowering his head to peer deeply into Magnus' eyes, effectively pinning him into a frozen state. "You are my greatest creation! The very best of all my many offspring, the cream of the crop!" With that, he brought his arms out from behind him, and with one swift movement, released Magnus from the bonds holding him captive, causing him to fall onto the hard ground in a pathetic crumble.

Lilith's lilting tittering flowed through their surroundings, as she moved gracefully forward again, stopping right beside Asmodeus, placing a hand on his arm.

"My liege," she said slyly, gazing up at him lovingly, "perhaps your son here has spent too long a time amongst mere mortals? He seems to have forgotten his origins," she pondered in a parody of curious wonder, lowering her head to glance gloweringly at Magnus. "Unlike my son," she gestured towards Jonathan who stood near her, "who has always done my bidding, and has yet to fail me even once."

Jonathan visibly preened, tilting his chin up, as he brought his arms back and stood up straight, mimicking a soldier standing at attention. Asmodeus graced him with an inspecting gaze, ending with a sharp stare right into his eyes. To which Jonathan responded with an immediate bow of his head, lowering his gaze respectfully. With a throaty chuckle, Asmodeus reached out across Lilith's back, to give Jonathan's shoulder a pat.

"The filial son indeed," Asmodeus praised graciously, throwing Magnus a displeased look, "so unlike mine here. Wasting away his powers on that cursed Shadowhunter and his brethren alike! When they could be put to much better use - in here, this realm of our own, where you could wield even more magnificent magic - if only you would consent to staying here, or submit your powers to me."

Magnus' chest heaved with anguished effort, his mind twirling in turmoil. His father had always yearned to have a hold over him and his magic. Throughout endless aeons of time, Asmodeus had gained his impressive magical powers by sheer manipulation, gleaning much of it by siphoning directly from his massive brood of children, from far flung areas of vast earth. So far out of his various offspring, only Magnus, being his favorite, had managed to escape his clutches. Until now.

"Please Father," Magnus gasped, beyond caring for his own pride, "forgive me for my folly, I was blinded by lust," he lied blithely, his heart raging within its confines for betrayal of his love for Alexander. "How can I make amends?" 'As long as Alexander remains unharmed, I would do anything to keep him away from here. There's no way he would survive it,' he thought, his gut coiling at the possibility of his beloved being dragged down to Edom, the one realm out of bounds to Nephilim, for being here would cause instant death.

Asmodeus seemed to share a look of mutual understanding with Lilith, as Jonathan sneaked a glance at them, his lips trembling into a barely suppressed smile of satisfaction. He then raised his head to pin Magnus with a glare.

"Your beloved Alec's Parabatai stabbed me in cold blood, killing me viciously. My father had exacted revenge by stabbing him in the heart, and Mother had brought his soul down here for me to play with, but then my own sister resurrected him with that blasted Raziel's help," he spat menacingly. "So Mother brought my physical form together again, just to have my very own family reunion. Only to be so rudely interrupted by you. The High Warlock himself. Not so high and mighty now are you, Magnus?"

Lilith tittered yet again, tossing her head back. Her hands were clasped around Asmodeus' torso. His arm was wrapped around her in an almost protective gesture. "Enough of teasing poor Magnus, my dear son. Perhaps we can strike up a deal, with Asmodeus here as guarantor, hm? If Magnus fails to deliver his end of the bargain, his powers shall be taken by his father, while his soul -" - she pinned him with a meaningful stare - "his soul shall be all mine."

"If you refuse to cooperate, I shall not hesitate to personally bring Alec Lightwood down into our realm," Asmodeus declared, "and we all know what happens to Nephilim the very second they land here. Their very souls burn into ashes, lost forever amongst the dust."  
His thick lips formed a gleeful grin, sharp white teeth gleaming in the dimness. "Since I have such difficulty obtaining his parents, he alone would do very nicely."

Magnus narrowed his eyes in dread, fear taking over his features. "What would you have me do?" he asked in trepidation.

Lilith approached him smilingly, lifting a hand to place onto his cheek. "Bring Jace Herondale to me, dear Magnus. That's all I ask of you."

Icy arrows of anguish stabbed through Magnus' very being. How could he? Jace was Alec's Parabatai, half of his soul. His brother-in-arms, his best friend. And for Magnus to be the one to - Magnus was Alec's boyfriend, his first ever, the very first person he'd allowed into his heart, his first love, the one whom he'd given his - No, Magnus couldn't fathom doing this to Alexander!

"No, please, no!" Magnus pleaded, unashamed in his heartfelt anguish. "Anything but that. I can't do that to Alexander! That's as good as killing him. Please, Father, have mercy," he whispered, bowing his head in defeat.

Asmodeus stood looming over the crouched frame of his son, his arms spread wide as if to hug him, only to jerk upwards with a sudden quick burst of reddish magic spewing from his large hands, zapping sharply at Magnus' bleeding abdominal stab wound.

"You dare defy me yet again?" he hissed in fury, his dark greenish gold eyes blazing as he glared down at Magnus' writhing form. "Perhaps I should send Jonathan to return to the New York Institute, just to fetch your dearly beloved Nephilim, bring him here as incentive for your obedience, hm?"

Magnus shuddered violently, his hands clutching at his viciously throbbing abdomen, his insides burning with nauseating agony, causing him to wheeze and cough out clots of dark blood. With the very last vestiges of his waning willpower, he whispered pleadingly, "No, Father, please don't, I'll -" - he gulped in a brave breath - "I'll do as you ask. Just please - please don't harm Alexander."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides face within palms shaking head*


	5. Reversal - Tres

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec stood in the middle of their bedroom, a look of determination etched on his features. He would wreak havoc for Jonathan, once he was able to lay his hands on him. There was no limit to the damage Alec could cause to him, for the suffering he'd undoubtedly had inflicted upon Magnus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As we all know by now, it gets worse before it gets better. *shrugs*

"Just please - please don't harm Alexander.'

Asmodeus scoffed disdainfully, his lips curled into an ugly smirk. "Thought that might provide some much needed motivation."

With a wave of both hands all over Magnus' body, he purged the poison out from his mouth, the rolls of thick black smoke making him retch and cough, sending currents of sharp agony rippling through his abdomen. 

"Your wounds should heal within a day or so," Asmodeus told him almost flippantly. "Of course, once I've allowed you to return to the Shadoworld, you could utilize your magic." His eyes gleamed in a predatory manner, revealing him to be more of a shrewd businessman, rather than just being Magnus' father. 

Lilith cleared her throat delicately, folding her arms across her chest imperiously. She pursed her lips in a petulant manner. 

"How long do you think you would take, to complete your task?" she asked Magnus. "I would very much like to have him in my Nephilim collection, before the week is over.'

Her ultimatum was delivered casually, as she twirled thick gooey strands of her hair around one slender sludge-covered finger. From his place beside her, Jonathan smirked slyly. His black demonic eyes stared malevolently at Magnus, one finger running along the edge of his seraph blade. 

Maneuvering himself painfully into a standing position, Magnus wracked his exhausted brain to think of a satisfactory reply. He had to stall for time somehow. Hopefully he could explain all that had transpired in here to Alec and Jace, then together they could figure out a loophole of some sort. 

"I need at least a day or two to recover, before I can even begin to formulate any sort of method to execute my plans," he argued with Lilith, throwing a pleading glance at Asmodeus. 

"Please Father," Magnus lowered his voice to a whisper - he wasn't above tugging on his father's heartstrings, if indeed he had any - "Do allow me some respite. Only after I've fully replenished my magic, then surely I'd be able to perform my absolute best for your pride and pleasure."

He held his breath even as he bowed his head respectfully in front of his father. Had he fallen in Asmodeus' favor, to not be able to ask him of anything? He had been declared the favorite child after all, to all of his several hundred siblings. 

Asmodeus seemed to soften at Magnus' show of obedience. His scowling countenance eased into one of placid understanding. He raised one arm slowly, only to run his fingers through Magnus' sweaty hair, brushing it back from his pale face. It was almost a fatherly gesture. 

"My son," Asmodeus said softly to Magnus, his fingers then beginning to twirl in a wave, "all you had to do was ask."

With a whirlwind whoosh of dark reddish magic, Magnus was pulled out of Edom, only to be unceremoniously dumped onto the Persian carpet in the middle of his own living room. 

"Magnus!" Alec cried out, rushing over to help Magnus up, as his boyfriend had emerged out of a sudden billowing of thick black smoke, falling right onto the carpeted floor.

Alec had been lying gloomily on one of the couches, unable to sleep without Magnus beside him. Just as he had almost drifted off, a crackle of energy had sizzled in mid-air, before Magnus suddenly appeared. 

"Magnus, by the Angel -" Alec whispered achingly, his hands tenderly smoothing over each and every one of his boyfriend's many injuries. His hazel eyes welling up with tears, he wrapped both arms securely around Magnus, holding him close in a much-needed hug. "Thank the Angel you're alive!" he declared, his throat clogged up with his turbulent emotions. 

Magnus allowed himself to fully relax for the first time in what felt like days, when it had been mere hours. He shut his eyes tight, forcing the unbidden tears back. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he brought both arms up weakly to rub his Alexander's mid-back tenderly. 

"I'm here, darling," he whispered in Alec's left ear. "I'm here, my dear Alexander."

They stayed that way, for quite awhile, neither willing to let go of the other, both breathing in each other's presence deeply. They basked in the instinctual affirmation that, no matter what, they would always find their way back to each other. 

Eventually Alec's shuddering heaving breaths quietened down to his normal rhythm. He gradually released his fearful hold around Magnus. One hand reached up to clasp Magnus' neck, while its thumb caressed his cheek lovingly. 

"Why did you do that, Magnus?" Alec asked sadly, his liquid gaze pinning Magnus more sharply than his seraph blade ever could. "Why did you volunteer to take Jace's place? Was it because -" - even more tears welled up in his beautiful multicolored eyes - "because you thought I still - still had feelings for Jace?" he finished in a tremulous tone. 

Magnus drew in a deep inhale, his glamored eyes now a deep amber widening at Alec's question. Was Alec feeling guilty over a simple crush? Magnus shook his head ruefully. Sometimes he'd forgotten just how young his Alexander really was. 

"Alexander," Magnus began, raising his hand up to clasp over the one Alec was now stroking his cheek with. "I thought no such thing. It was a reflexive action on my part. My only wish was to prevent Jace's impending death by Jonathan. As he is your Parabatai, losing him would mean losing part of your soul. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

Alec sniffled delicately, lowering his gaze, almost hanging his head, as if ashamed. His other hand moved forward to stroke over Magnus' stab wound in the middle of his belly. A fresh wave of tears dripped down his cheeks in quick succession. 

"Did - did Sebastian - Jonathan, did he - did he do this to you?" Alec managed to gasp out, as he tried valiantly to stem the flow of his weeping. He raised his head up to gaze intently at his beloved boyfriend. "Did he stab you?!  Using his seraph blade?'

Magnus gently grabbed Alec's hand at his wounded belly, bringing it up to press a kiss to its palm. He then tenderly wiped away a few stray tears from beneath Alec's long lower lashes. 

"Seraph blades have no powers in Edom," he replied. "But they're still very sharp indeed," he finished lightly, in a small attempt at humor. 

Alec's face crumpled in anguish, both hands now grabbing at the front of Magnus' ruined tattered shirt, as if to hold on to him even more securely. 

"How could you joke about this?!" Alec nearly wailed. "You willingly gave yourself up to be dragged down to Edom! Where your magic doesn't work, where your father is, and you hate your father, don't you?? And the only reason you did all that, was because you love me!" he sobbed unconsolably. 

"Dearest, please don't weep like this," Magnus beseeched, his own eyes filling up with unshed tears at his beloved's distress. 

Alec shook his head repeatedly, pressing both hands firmly onto Magnus' chest. He took deep cleansing breaths, seeming to calm down somewhat. 

"It's not right, Magnus," he murmured. "I'm not worth it." He looked right into Magnus' eyes, holding his gaze for mere seconds before looking away again. 

Magnus' breath caught on an inhale, his heart squeezing in his chest. How could Alec think like this? Had all his insecurities just been lying underneath the surface all this while? And here Magnus thought he had left them behind, once he had established himself as Head of the Institute. 

"Darling, how could you think that?!" Magnus exclaimed softly. "Of course you're worth it, Alexander. Even if I were to give up being immortal to spend mere decades with you, til we both grew too old to walk, I would."

Alec's eyes widened as he stared at his boyfriend in abject horror. Had he heard right? Magnus would give up his immortality for him?? 

"Magnus," he crooked, "that's too much. Too much to ask from you! I'm not as good as you make me out to be," he declared with a shake of his head. "Now tell me what happened please?"

Magnus shook his head in wonder. They would have to revisit Alec's deep seated self doubt another time. For now he pondered on how much to reveal to Alec. On one hand with Alec being Jace's Parabatai, it seemed cruel to inform him of what Asmodeus and Lilith had ordered him to do. On the other with all that happened between them during the past several weeks, it seemed hypocritical of him, if he were to withhold any information from his boyfriend. 

Taking a deep fortifying breath, Magnus decided to plunge straight into downright honesty. He took both of Alec's hands within his in a firm yet gentle grasp. 

"Lilith and Asmodeus want me to bring Jace to Edom, where Jonathan would exact his own form of vengeance on him," Magnus said in a relatively calm tone. "We have exactly one week to figure out how to stop it from happening, while simultaneously preventing those two from wreaking hell's wrath on this earth," he finished somberly. 

Alec's already drawn face paled even further, making him appear ashen and shook to his core. His expression went through a gamut of changes, from wariness to thoughtfulness to sheer determination. 

"Alright, we'll start on that first thing in the morning," he declared. "For now you need to rest."

Magnus nodded wearily, moving to stand up, only to stumble on his feet. Alec hurriedly grabbed him around his waist, holding him close while helping him to take a step forward. 

"Easy there, love," Alec hushed, the endearment causing Magnus' age-old heart to flutter. "We don't need you falling flat on your face again. As you well know, I love that face," he murmured teasingly, a tremulous smile wavering on his lips. 

Magnus shook his head ruefully, his own lips curling into a beautiful grin. Ah how he had missed his dear Alexander's gentle teasing. 

"Give me a few minutes to take a hot shower? Then I'll join you in bed," Magnus murmured in reply, right into Alec's left ear,  earning him a bashful smile with a nod. 

They reached their bedroom's ensuite, where Alec left Magnus to have a much needed clean up. Alec then made swift work of turning down the sheets and fluffing up Magnus' pillows, in preparation for bedtime. 

Alec stood in the middle of their bedroom, a look of determination etched on his features. He would wreak havoc for Jonathan, once he was able to lay his hands on him. There was no limit to the damage Alec could cause to him, for the suffering he'd undoubtedly had inflicted upon Magnus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update should be by the weekend.


	6. Refuge - Jace's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jace could hardly believe his own ears. How did Magnus know - ? He found himself mercilessly pinned by Magnus' penetrating gaze. 
> 
> Magnus stared deeply into Jace's multicolored eyes, filled with anguish, guilt, and - Love. He loved Alec, of course he did. 
> 
> But maybe not just as his Parabatai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Magnus wants to formulate a plan to prevent Jace from being dragged off to Edom - if only he could heal from his numerous injuries. 
> 
> Jace is remorsefully grateful and strives to do his best to aid in Magnus' slow recovery. 
> 
> Alec struggles to forgive and not quite forget.
> 
> Everything comes to a head.

Alec stood ramrod straight, his arms behind his back, his back upright, even his neck seemed to have a stick holding it up. His hazel eyes were storms of turmoil, with deep seated fury tossing within. 

His empty gaze burned hotter than the fire crackling in the office fireplace, where he stood facing it, but not watching it. 

Jace had asked to stay in Magnus' loft, saying he wanted to help in Magnus' hellishly given task. To Alec's consternation, Magnus had readily agreed, mentioning that it might help repair their friendship. 

Magnus had not specified which friendship. 

Jace had been sickeningly grateful, and had thanked Magnus effusively. 

Alec had trouble stopping himself from punching his own Parabatai's face in. 

A hesitant knock on the door grabbed his attention. He threw an annoyed look over his shoulder, finding his sister standing at the office entrance. 

"May I come in please?" she enquired after he hadn't invited her in. 

"If you must," he muttered darkly, walking around his table to settle listlessly in his chair, the fingers of one hand drumming on the table restlessly.  

Isabelle took a seat on the couch in the middle of the room, smoothing her long dark hair over one shoulder. She had noticed the increasingly growing tension between her two brothers, and it disturbed her greatly. 

Parabatais were unique. Individuals with often differing personalities, who were opposite sides of the same coin, one Yin the other Yang. They were meant to complement one another, complete each other. 

Yet these two often drove each other batshit crazy. Sometimes they forgave and forgot; other times they bore prolonged petty grudges. 

This particular time felt different. 

"Alec," Isabelle began, licking her lips nervously, "I know you said not to interfere, but it's seriously affecting your work."

Her brother shot her his trademark death glare; only this time it sent actual chills running down her spine. Alec was absolutely furious about the situation at hand. 

"Do you even have any idea what it's like?!" he seethed at her. "My Parabatai went around behind my back, got caught by a denomic Jonathan Morgenstern, and my boyfriend had to rescue him and his insipid girlfriend, and then  _he_ got caught and tortured and nearly  _died_ , even though he's immortal, and when he returned home, that same Parabatai comes along and wants to make things up, just not with me - with him instead, the sheer gall of him!!" Alec finished in an almost roar, his face nearly purple with rage. 

Isabelle blew a nervous breath out, her hands spread toward him calmingly. He stared at them incredulously, brows furrowed in an ugly ferocious scowl.  

"Alec, please, Jace's been put through the ringer recently -" 

"You mean Magnus hasn't??  He'd already been tortured before, or don't you remember??  By Imogen, and  _me!!"_  

With that, Alec stood abruptly, unshed tears welling up in his stormy eyes. He pointed to the door, refusing to look at his sister. 

"If you're here to plead his case, then get out," he ordered coldly. 

Isabelle swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, hurt beyond measure. Fighting back tears herself, she rose regally and walked out as he requested, flinching as he slammed the door shut behind her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Magnus?" Jace called out, not having found Magnus in his bedroom nor his office nook. 

He paced around the apothecary and dining area, then crossed the living room, to stand at the bottom of the winding steps leading to the roof, calling out for Magnus again. 

"Up here! Feeding the cats," Magnus replied. "Come on up!" he invited. 

Jace joined him on the rooftop lounge area, closely observing him and noting his pallor and shallow breathing. The way he held his posture suggested he was still in considerable pain. A hidden part of Jace's heart ached at watching him grit his jaw, tiny beads of sweat lining his temples. 

"You don't look too good, Magnus," he blurted out in a hushed tone, feeling small and guilt-ridden. How wrong he had been, about this remarkable man standing before him. 

Magnus threw him a playful grin, his glamored eyes dancing with mirth. Jace was struck by just how attractive he actually was. No wonder Alec was dumbstruck the first time they met. 

For now, Jace simply enjoyed looking into those almost amber eyes. 

"A lesser man would take offense to such a statement," he teased, turning on his heel to walk to the outdoor sofa set, only to sway precariously on his feet. 

"Magnus!" Jace lunged forward, catching him in his arms, just as he slumped forward in a faint. Around them the group of cats busily munching on kibbles dispersed with loud unhappy meows. 

Holding Magnus to his chest in a bridal carry, Jace rushed over to deposit him onto the sofa. He gently propped Magnus' head up on a cushion, then untied the scarf around his neck, and undid his top three buttons to make him more comfortable. 

Fingerprint shaped bruises marred the otehrwise smooth skin around Magnus' neck. Had he been strangled?? An array of multicolored bruises, dark red welts and sluggishly healing spike wounds dotted his collarbone and upper chest. There was hardly any clear unmarked patch of skin visible anymore. 

Jace's heart clenched painfully, his gut turning to ice. Just how badly had Magnus been hurt? By the Angel - 

" _Mmhh_ ," Magnus moaned softly, stirring into consciousness. His hands flew to the center of his torso, pressing on it firmly as he attempted to get up. " _Aahh_ ," he groaned in obvious agony, his already pale cheeks turning ashen. 

"Hey no, no, you should lay down," Jace urged, valiantly trying to swallow the huge lump in his throat, his hands pressing firmly on Magnus' broad shoulders. 

"Please, Magnus, you need to rest," Jace implored, wrapping an arm around him in a half-hug, slowly maneuvering him to lay back down, propping his shoulders up on some cushions. He adjusted the one under his head to support his neck better. 

Fine tremors wracked Magnus' injured frame. He kept his hands pressed over his torso, his breath coming in pained shallow pants. 

"May I see it?" Jace blurted out, his eyes full of unshed tears. He looked utterly miserable. "I need to see how badly you're hurt - because you - you saved my life," Jace whispered, his throat aching from the ever-growing lump inside, his tears finally spilling over to fall onto his cheeks. "You saved _me_ , Magnus. _Why??_ Why'd you do that - you knew - you had to know - it was gonna go badly, even for you, 'cause your magic doesn't work in there."

"My magic isn't the only thing I've got working for me," Magnus huffed teasingly, even as one hand reached out and squeezed Jace's shoulder in comfort. "Besides -" - he broke off to swallow another moan, as his other hand pressed down on his throbbing stab wound - "you're Alec's Parabatai, I couldn't just allow Jonathan to take you to Edom. Your kind would disintegrate into flames, the very minute you set one foot in there. Not a flattering look on you, I'm afraid."

The last phrase was said with a pat on his shoulder, and a teasing little wink. Jace found it hard not to smile in response; Magnus did always have that effect on him. 

"Now help me up, will you? I much prefer my cosy bed with its five hundred thread count satin sheets," Magnus declared airily, even as he grimaced in trying to heave his injured body off the sofa.

Jace jumped up and instantly wrapped a supportive arm around Magnus' slim waist. He swiftly slung Magnus' arm over his shoulders, as they gingerly made their way to the steps leading back down to the loft. 

"Easy does it now, careful please," Jace urged, holding onto Magnus' waist in a near death grip, frightened that he may faint again and roll down the winding steps. 

With great care on Jace's part, and several pauses to catch his breath on Magnus', the pair finally reached Magnus' bed. 

"How did you even manage to get up there the first time?" Jace wondered, pulling down his quilt for him. 

Magnus gave him a rueful grin, slowly laying back on his mound of pillows, nodding his thanks as Jace drew the quilt up to his waist. 

"With a spurt of my magic for added strength," Magnus replied with a shake of his head. "It's not quite back to 100% as yet."

Jace huffed out a breath, then with a sharp inhale, drew up his courage. "Would you like to take some strength from me? I'm sure Alec thinks I've got more than I need anyway and also, you haven't shown me all your injuries yet, don't think I've forgotten."

Magnus chuckled at that, crinkling his eyes charmingly. "Are you sure about this?" he asked seriously, his lips turned down in a sad frown. "It's not pretty. And sharing strength with me in my weakened state may exhaust you."

Jace shook his head in disbelief. He crouched down on the floor next to Magnus, with one knee bent to support himself. 

"You've gone above and beyond for me," he told Magnus earnestly. "It's the least I can do for you right now."

With a huff and a shake of his head, Magnus slowly unbuttoned his shirt, one by one, revealing the awful stab wound, still not yet fully healed, with dried blood along the ugly jagged gash. Countless other smaller spike wounds ran along both of his sides and across his abdomen. Surrounding his whole torso were several lines which looked much like rope burns. 

Jace took his time taking into account every single one of Magnus' wounds and the marks on the formerly flawless body. A tempest of emotions rose within him; his multicolored eyes were hazy with a film of tears. He looked sickened and anguished; his breaths coming in heaving gasps. It was as if he was about to have a panic attack. 

"Jace? Jace!" Magnus shook him by the shoulder worriedly. "Hey, deep breaths, buddy, like me, okay? Slow and steady, in and out."

"You - you, take my strength, please, just - just  _heal yourself please_ , please Magnus!" Jace grabbed Magnus' hands in his and gripped them tightly. "Do it now - I can't -" -tears fell streaming down his face - "can't bear seeing you like this; Alec loves you, and you  _nearly died_ , you're an  _immortal_ , you can't die, not for  _me!"_ he declared, sobbing pitifully. 

With tears welling up in his now unglamored eyes, Magnus inhaled deeply, then nodded and proceeded to begin siphoning Jace's strength into his own being. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The soft glow of a nearby lamp was the first thing Jace saw, as he blinked his bleary eyes open. With a start, he pushed himself up to a sitting position, finding himself in Magnus' bed, on the side where Alec usually slept. 

He nearly sprang out of the bed, then hurried outside, only to find Magnus nursing a drink whilst lounging in his favorite armchair. 

"Aah, I see Sleeping Beauty is awake," Magnus teased with a twinkle in his eye. "It's already three o'clock, you must be hungry.'

With a waving flourish of his arm, Magnus conjured up a serving of pasta and soup, complete with bread sticks and a tall glass of iced tea. Jace could only blink at the spread. 

"Bon appetit," Magnus murmured, eyeing him over the rim of his wine glass as he finished his drink. 

With a grateful smile, Jace settled down to tuck into his meal. "You look much better," he declared, in a gratified manner. "Was my energy really that good?" he teased, a faint blush rising up his cheeks. 

With a tinkling laugh, Magnus rose steadily to stand on his feet. He pulled his shirt up to reveal - smooth flawless skin over his chiseled torso. Gone were every single wound, even his abdominal stab wound was fully healed, yet a thick scar remained. 

Eyes wide with wonder, Jace let out a delighted laugh. "Wow! That's incredible! If I do say so myself," he chuckled ruefully. 

"Pure angel blood, remember?" Magnus remarked. "Though I must say, I was surprised I could actually enjoy its full benefits. Could be due to my father being a fallen Angel," he mused pensively. 

Jace found himself unable to look away from Magnus' sad face. His eyes, glamored yet again, were like deep pools of glittering amber. Jace found himself wishing he could wipe away all the sadness Magnus was feeling at that moment. With a horrified start, he realized that he was -

"There's something else going on with you right now, isn't there? A change of feelings regarding a certain someone?" Magnus enquired suddenly, as if seizing the moment to glean all he could from his boyfriend's Parabatai. 

Jace could hardly believe his own ears. How did Magnus know - ? He found himself mercilessly pinned by Magnus' penetrating gaze.

Magnus stared deeply into Jace's multicolored eyes, filled with anguish, guilt, and - Love. He loved Alec, of course he did.

But maybe not just as his Parabatai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seem to alternate between unrelenting Angst in here, and then indulge in relentless Fluff in my other fic 'Hidden Depths'. 
> 
> Oh well there're two sides to every coin. *shrugs*


	7. Refuge - Magnus'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus' breath escaped him in a rush. Turbulent mixed emotions whirled around in him, much like a typhoon. His heart pounded in palpitations. 
> 
> How could this have happened?! Alexander was the love of his life. Yet with him came the other half of his soul - his Parabatai. Now his Parabatai had been altered by his brief time in Edom - where Magnus' father reigned supreme. 
> 
> Magnus knew deep in his aged soul, that Alec would prefer to have both of them, were he forced to choose between them. He would never choose one over the other. He would rather die than have to make such a choice. 
> 
> The question now was - could Magnus truly accept that wholeheartedly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jace can't keep anything from Magnus. 
> 
> Magnus is simply holding on for dear life. 
> 
> Alec returns home to veritable chaos.
> 
> **WARNING - Some Dub Con Ahead**

Magnus braced himself to receive a heartbreaking blow. He should have expected this, after all his years dealing with relationships. 

Yet none of his previous ones came with a bonded pair such as these Parabatais. This was indeed unfamiliar territory, one as yet uncharted by Magnus, even as fairly ancient as he was. 

Jace had finished his meal, having consumed all the food, and was now gripping his iced tea, seemingly unmindful of the coldness of the icy beverage. 

Patience had always been one of Magnus' more useful virtues. He utilized it now as he waited for Jace to formulate a suitable reply, finding himself unable to look away from Jace's breathtaking eyes. 

"How - wait - do you mean  _Alec??"_ Jace sputtered, nearly choking in his horror. "He's my Parabatai - not, I don't - we're not like that!" he almost shouted in his hasty attempts to explain himself. 

"Calm yourself Jake," Magnus said softly, the jibe on his name making Jace raise his brows in confusion. "You're not exactly making much sense," Magnus informed him. 

Jace drew in a deep cleansing breath. Maybe it was time he left everything out in the open. If he couldn't talk to Alec, maybe he could talk to his boyfriend instead. 

Magnus had offered, so Jace could only accept. 

"I was in Edom, briefly, after Valentine stabbed me in the heart," Jace revealed in a hushed tone, his eyes glazed over in recollection. 

Magnus found himself almost breathless with horror. His heart ached with empathy for this strong, proud Shadowhunter warrior, who'd probably been told all his life, that his place in the afterlife was Eden. 

Only to have been captured against his will and have his soul dumped in Edom instead. 

"Lilith held me captive in her cave," Jace related in a monotone. "Just as she was about to grab me by my neck, I felt darkness overcome me, then I woke up to find Clary weeping over me."

He took a long gulp of his beverage, then gazed wistfully at Magnus, an almost tender smile playing on his lips. 

"You sure you wanna hear this?" he queried. "You're still recovering after all. Any aftereffects at all?" he asked solicitously, his face showing his concern. 

"Just a general tiredness," Magnus replied, finding himself returning the soft smile. "Nothing a good night's sleep can't fix."

Jace nodded, sipping his iced tea, then a slow, almost cheeky grin formed on his wet lips. Magnus couldn't take his eyes off him. 

"We all know by now how much you need your beauty sleep," Jace teased. "Especially at your age," said in a near gleeful tone. 

Magnus' eyes widened at that, then he threw his head back in a delighted heartfelt chuckle. Jace felt his heart almost come to a stop. When had he found Magnus so captivating? 

With a horrified shake of his head, Jace made up his mind there and then. Honesty from then on, no more hiding, no more doubting himself. 

"You're right, you know," Jace said to Magnus, eyes never leaving his. They both gazed at each other, neither backing down. 

"My feelings have changed, just not about Alec. Rather - about  _you._ "

Magnus found himself frozen in place. Silence befell the loft. A gentle afternoon breeze began blowing in through the balcony doors. It played with Jace's golden hair, ruffling some of it onto his forehead. Magnus' fingers had the sudden urge to run through the soft-looking strands. 

"Magnus?" Jace called out to him, rising from his seat at the dining table. "Hey, you okay?"

He came to a stop right in front of him, and crouched down to a makeshift kneel. Magnus was struck by a sense of deja vu; hadn't his Alexander done the same, the night he'd revealed his deepest, darkest secret about his mother and stepfather? 

"Are you hurting anywhere?" Jace fretted, his hands reaching out towards Magnus, only to stop before he actually touched him. He moved his head down to look Magnus in the eye - just like Alec had all those weeks ago - "Maybe you should go lay down again?"

Magnus shook his head, blinking at Jace in wonder. How had he ever thought Jace to be callous and condescending? Here he was now being nothing but caring and solicitous and kind. 

"I'm fine, no need to fret. Just shocked at your honesty," Magnus replied - honestly. 

Jace chuckled good-naturedly at that, eyes flitting from Magnus' face, down to the rest  of his body, then back up to his eyes. A strange gleam had begun to glow in his multicolored eyes, especially in his left dual-colored one. He leaned his head even closer to Magnus, encroaching Magnus' intimate space, stopping with his mouth almost touching Magnus' left ear. 

Magnus found himself suddenly unable to move a muscle, his gaze pinned by Jace in an oddly captivated yet helpless manner, almost as if he were a bird or mouse being held within a predatory cat's paw. Something wasn't quite right. 

"You think this is honesty?" Jace whispered, his breath tickling Magnus' ear, his hushed tone sending chills down Magnus' neck and down his spine. "Are you so very sure it isn't just lust - lust for you - my Parabatai's magical boyfriend?"

In a blink of an eye, both Jace's arms had wrapped around Magnus' shoulders, and - Jace smashed his mouth to Magnus' in a brutal, biting kiss. 

" _Mmmpphh!"_ Magnus struggled to escape Jace's vice-like grip around him, trying to move his legs up in a kick, only to find himself immobilized by some sort of invisible bonds. He did the next best thing as Jace's tongue swiped in between his lips - he bit down viciously. 

 _"Aaarrgghh!"_ With an agonized yell, Jace reared back his head, both hands flying to cover his mouth, blood spurting from his wounded tongue mixed with saliva in gruesome flecks. 

"Release me!" Magnus demanded, his cat eyes glowing ferociously, his whole being vibrating with fury. " _How dare you!_ "

Jace stared uncomprehendingly at Magnus, shaking his head repeatedly in a dazed manner. He appeared confused and bewildered at the presence of pain in his mouth, and horrified at seeing the blood still oozing from his tongue.

"Magnus?" he whispered thickly in a panicked tone. "What - what happened?  _What did I do??"_

Magnus stared back at him, feeling that the invisible vice around his legs had disappeared, his eyes gradually taking back on their glamour, as his facial expressions changed from sheer anger, to confusion, to finally settle on horrified realization. Jace had behaved like a  _demon._

Jace's soul had been dragged down to Edom. It had been corrupted and twisted - all his darkest most shameful inner desires would now be acted upon. The Angelic blood in his body had most likely been tainted by being clawed at and scratched by numerous Asmodei, as well as breathing in the demonic mind-altering fumes in Lilith's thrice-damned cave. All whilst Asmodeus probably had stood by simply watching, with a malevolent smile lurking on his face. 

Jace himself had  _changed._ He was becoming the very mirror image of what he had originally been. Now he would behave much like a willful, lawless demon - having strong feelings of lust, greed and unquenchable desires - with no qualms over forcefully taking what he wanted. 

Magnus' breath escaped him in a rush. Turbulent mixed emotions whirled around in him, much like a typhoon. His heart pounded in palpitations.

How could this have happened?! Alexander was the love of his life. Yet with him came the other half of his soul - his Parabatai. Now his Parabatai had been altered by his brief time in Edom - where Magnus' father reigned supreme.

Magnus knew deep in his aged soul, that Alec would prefer to have both of them, were he forced to choose between them. He would never choose one over the other. He would rather die than have to make such a choice.

The question now was - could Magnus truly accept that wholeheartedly?

The loft's front door opened with a soft click, the sound it made seemingly deafening within the deadly silent space. Alec strolled briskly across the penthouse floor, taking in the scene before him with shrewd eyes. 

"Magnus? You okay?" he enquired, crouching down in front of his unnerved boyfriend, one large hand gently cupping Magnus' cheek. 

"What happened here?" he wondered out loud, twisting his torso to fling an accusing glare at Jace. "Jace, what did you do?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hang on in there, some resolution ahead.


	8. Refuge - Alec's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec sat with his head in his hands, hardly being able to breathe. Did he hear Magnus correctly the first time? Jace was now more like a demon?? 
> 
> He raised his head with unshed tears of anguish glimmering in his hazel gaze, which he directed at his Parabatai. Who sat on the floor in a dejected, slumped, crumpled form. 
> 
> "I'm so sorry," Jace kept whispering, his hands clasped together and held to his forehead, as tears streamed unchecked down his miserable face. "I'm so sorry, Magnus! Alec - Alec, I - I don't know what came over me! I - don't blame Magnus, please," he pleaded, looking up fearfully at Alec. "He did nothing wrong."
> 
> Alec shook his head vehemently, his own tears finally spilling over his lower lashes, to flow down his pale cheeks. 
> 
> "Neither of you did anything wrong. This is all my fault."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alec isn't ready for the truth. 
> 
> Jace can hardly handle his body's betrayal. 
> 
> Magnus desperately wants to make things right again.

"Alec," Jace sobbed, tears welling up in his eyes, "please - I'm sorry, I - I _forced_ myself on him, I wasn't myself!" He seemed to want to reach out and touch his Parabatai, but stopped himself at the ferocious glare he received. 

Alec's whole body vibrated in instant fury. A deep reddish flush had risen up his neck and both his cheeks. He seemed like a ticking time bomb about to explode at a hair's trigger. Magnus placed both his hands onto his boyfriend's chest in a placating manner. 

"Alexander?" Magnus whispered in his left ear, his lips brushing against it intimately. "Look at me, please, darling," he urged him, smoothing both hands up towards his cheeks and cupping them, slowly turning Alec's head to face him. 

Alec's furious expression immediately began softening, to one of anxious concern. His hands roamed Magnus' body in gentle sweeping pats, as if to check for any injuries Jace could have possibly inflicted upon his person. 

"Did he  _hurt you??_ Magnus, you have to tell me-" he blurted out, pressing his forehead to his boyfriend's in his anguish. 

Magnus shook his head, smiling tenderly at his beloved, then leaned in even closer, and planted a soothing, sweet smooch onto Alec's quivering lips. Alec responded by holding his head in both hands and deepening the kiss with a swipe and intimate plunge of his tongue between Magnus' moist lips, both of them finishing the much-needed kiss with a satisfying soft smooch. 

"I needed that," Alec declared huskily, gazing dreamily at his beloved Warlock with dilated pupils in his hazel eyes. Both hands now clasped Magnus' shoulders, his thumbs stroking his boyfriend's biceps. 

Magnus chuckled ruefully, his eyes gleaming with quiet delight, as he nodded in agreement. "So did I, darling."

Jace slowly stood on his feet, making as if to walk away, his head hung in shame. His whole frame was trembling from his arms down to his shaky legs; he looked badly shaken and disoriented. 

"Jace, wait, please don't go," Magnus implored, reaching out toward him, only to be held back by Alec with a gentle yank. 

"No, don't stop him, he needs to leave," Alec spoke up, rising to stand up himself. His face was now set in a determined look. His Head of the Institute demeanor. "He doesn't deserve to stay here anymore."

Magnus gave a frustrated shake of his head, brushing off his boyfriend's hands from where they held onto his arm, and reaching out to Jace as he walked over to him. 

"Alec, you don't understand," he declared with a huff, "Jace isn't himself! He truly didn't know what his body was making him do."

With that, Magnus held an arm around Jace's shoulders, in an attempt to guide him to sit on the couch - only to have Jace jump back from him, flinching in horror. 

"No, Magnus, don't touch me!" Jace yelled tearfully. "I don't want - I won't violate you again," Jace vowed in a hushed voice. 

"You only kissed me, Jace, you hardly tried anything -"

"I wanted to!" Jace shouted suddenly. " _I wanted more."_

His head hung in shame, Jace could hardly look at either Magnus or Alec in the eye. Shocked silence hung in the spaces between them all. 

Alec slowly approached his Parabatai, his face showing confusion and not a small amount of horror. Jace looked like a shadow of his former self, his shoulders hunched, arms wrapped around himself, as if to stop himself from touching anyone. 

"Jace," Alec whispered fearfully, "what happened to you?"

Jace shuddered at that, his face crumpling in a heartwrenching expression. His eyes jumped from Magnus to Alec in fear and dread. Throat working to swallow painfully, he took several slow deep breaths, then lifted his head up to face his Parabatai head on. 

"I was stabbed in the heart by Valentine, that night at Lake Lyn," he began in a trembling tone. "I was so sad, Alec, at leaving you, and Clary - she was weeping over me, the poor thing - and I didn't want to leave her there, with him, I hadn't had the chance to tell her - so I did - I said I loved her, that was the last thing I told her, before -" he broke off with a wince and a grimace at the awful memory.  

His audience held their gazes on him with bated breath. The couple had been drawn closer to each other, now with their hands linked tightly in a comfort-sharing clasp. 

"Before I stopped breathing, then my soul was plunged straight into - into Edom - with multiple wraiths holding onto me, their sharp claws scratching me all over - and they burned! And stung too. And the smell of the fumes in there! I can still taste the burn at the back of my throat, whenever I close my eyes at night," Jace shared in a hushed voice. 

"By the Angel," Alec breathed. He looked ashen and close to fainting. Magnus hurriedly guided him to the couch, where he fell onto it in an untidy slump. "We were told -" - he looked up at Magnus with a crushed look on his face - "we would go to Eden after our deaths - that's what - what was written in the book of the Angel Raziel!"

A sudden bitter laugh bubbled out from Jace's, the sound grating on the ears. Magnus and Alec both stared at him in dread. 

"Only truly pure Nephilim souls can enter Eden, oh Parabatai of mine," Jace scoffed harshly, a tortured expression wriggling across his usually handsome features. "Not ones tainted by demon blood. Simon drank my blood, remember? His vampire saliva entered my bloodstream, tainting my previously Angelic blood, even as its properties turned him into a Daylighter!" he finished in an anguished manner. 

A sudden exhaustion overcame Jace, and he leaned against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor in a bleak slump. He hid his face in his hands and sobbed unconsolably. 

"Jace is beginning to exhibit demonic behavior," Magnus whispered sadly, his eyes glittering with deep empathy. "If we don't act fast, he'll turn into a fully fledged demon, before the week is over."

Alec sat with his head in his hands, hardly being able to breathe. Did he hear Magnus correctly the first time? Jace was now more like a demon??

He raised his head with unshed tears of anguish glimmering in his hazel gaze, which he directed at his Parabatai. Who sat on the floor in a dejected, slumped, crumpled form.

"I'm so sorry," Jace kept whispering, his hands clasped together and held to his forehead, as tears streamed unchecked down his miserable face. "I'm so sorry, Magnus! Alec - Alec, I - I don't know what came over me! I - don't blame Magnus, please," he pleaded, looking up fearfully at Alec. "He did nothing wrong."

Alec shook his head vehemently, his own tears finally spilling over his lower lashes, to flow down his pale cheeks.

"Neither of you did anything wrong. This is all my fault."

Both Magnus and Jace looked up sharply at Alec's declaration. 

"No, darling, of course it's not!"

"Parabatai, you didn't cause all this!"

Alec stopped them both with a wave of his hand. He looked crestfallen, tears clinging onto his long lashes. Taking deep fortifying breaths, he looked first at Magnus, then at Jace. 

"Jace, you felt like you couldn't open up to me, 'cause I've been so - so rigid, so unwilling to compromise - almost like the Clave," Alec confessed, his expression contrite, his eyes gleaming with grief. 

"Magnus, you gave yourself up for Jace, 'cause you knew I couldn't survive without him - after I'd told you how much he was a part of me, how important he was - you felt he was even more important to me than you," Alec mused, ending in a shuddering sob. 

"That's just it," Alec deduced in hushed tones. "I can't live, can't survive, without either of you. I need you  _both."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They have to fix things amongst themselves before becoming BAMF Battle Trio of Parabatais + High Warlock.  
> Just hang on for the ride.


	9. Relinquish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus gazed first at Jace's anguished, tear-stained face. He seemed resigned to his fate, unable to pluck up any vestiges of his courage any further. Regret and remorse danced within his gaze, as he stared pleadingly at Magnus. 
> 
> Standing next to him, Alec didn't look that much different from his Parabatai. He glared at Magnus accusingly, steadfast in his relentless self-righteousness. The Parabatai pair both had the appearance of not being ready to say their final farewells to each other. 
> 
> Magnus would be thrice-damned if he'd let them be separated in such an inglorious way. If it were not for his appearance in their lives, they wouldn't be in this heartwrenching situation in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alec bares his soul's inner demons. 
> 
> Jace bitterly accepts his fate. 
> 
> Magnus reaches an ultimatum.

The trio gathered in the living room of Penthouse 1 had seen better days. Days of valiant fights for lives of innocents; days of glory and celebrations. 

Now they were facing an impending doom; the looming separation of a Parabatai bond. 

There was a reason why Parabatais were rare among Nephilim; they could never have another, if one of them were to perish in battle, or other such morbid fatalities. Until death do them part indeed. 

The week given by Asmodeus and Lilith had passed by in a flash. Magnus had pored over countless tomes and journals, even pleaded with his Warlock peers from all over the world, to help find a viable solution, that would render it possible for a Nephilim to physically be in Edom, without instantly being smited by hellfire. 

There had been no such solution forthcoming; Magnus had been chided and derided by them all, for his folly of getting so involved with Shadowhunters, and allowing his heart to be captured so easily, with no desire to escape. 

Magnus was not going to throw in the towel just yet, without one last risky, desperate gamble - he was going to offer to have his immortality stripped away by Asmodeus - so that Jace may live and be forever free from threats of vengeance from Lilith. 

Before he met his dearest Alexander, he'd never known true love; love so all consuming, encompassing each and every fiber of his being. Magnus had lived literal centuries, been there, done that; he could honestly say he wouldn't be able to withstand more than a few years of existence, when the day came for his beloved to pass on before him, without thoughts of self-destruction. He knew neither did Jace; he'd unhesitatingly follow Alec into death itself; they both would. 

Armed with such deep set self-realization, Magnus found becoming a mortal, not to be so bad after all. 

Now it was merely the tedious task of convincing the Parabatai seated dejectedly on his couch. All the necessary prerequisites for summoning his father were in place. He only needed to call upon his name; his father had been watching over all of them in Magnus' lair, this entire week. Magnus felt his lurking presence like a thick, cloying fog. 

He could hardly wait to be rid of this constant peering over his shoulders, so to speak, and for them all to continue their remaining lives, the best ways they could, together. 

"Father! Asmodeus! I, Magnus Bane, your most powerful, most exalted son, call upon your presence, into this realm! Reveal yourself before us!" 

In a swift woosh of inky black smoke, Asmodeus appeared in the center of Magnus' living room, an oily smirk playing on his lips. The Parabatais could only stare open mouthed up at him; they hadn't realized the sheer power Magnus had, to be able to summon his own father, the Prince of Hell. 

"My son, my favorite offspring, have you a gift for me?" Asmodeus enquired smoothly, slinking towards his son in a stalking, predatory manner, much like a panther awaiting to strike its prey. 

Taking in a deep fortifying, cleansing breath, Magnus nodded shortly at his father, looking up deeply into his eyes, almost pleadingly. They looked poignantly like a child seeking his father for much needed guidance. 

"May I please have a few moments with them both, Father? Privately?" Magnus asked solicitously, his eyes never leaving his father's penetrating gaze. 

"Of course, say your goodbyes to your lover boy's Parabatai," Asmodeus replied flippantly, giving a gracious nod, walking away from him, only to seat himself into Magnus' favorite armchair, helping himself to the carafe of whiskey perched on the nearby tray table. 

Magnus slowly approached the Parabatais, both of the young men gazing up at him beseechingly. Alec had tears shimmering within his hazel eyes, helplessness and futile fury twisting his handsome features. Jace was staring at Magnus so intently, as if he was committing him to memory, a resigned steely look in his eyes. 

"Didn't you find anything,  _anything at all!_ " Alec cried out, his bitter tone striking sharply into Magnus' fragile heart. "After one whole week given to you, after Jace fainted while giving you his strength, and now you've got nothing to show for it?! Maybe you want this huh, you want Jace gone, so there's nobody else to compete with you huh, to vie for my affections, 'cause you're so needy for it all the time, aren't you?! The High Warlock of Brooklyn, all High and Mighty, just in desperate need for love, after all, just as weak as us mere mortal beings!" he flung relentlessly at Magnus, not noticing Magnus' shattered expression at his accusations, consumed by his terrible anger and disappointment. 

With his heart rendered torn in shreds by his beloved's hurtful rant, Magnus thought back to how loving and achingly sweet Alec had been, a mere twelve or so hours ago that morning. How he'd held Magnus to his chest, as his deep, hard thrusts into Magnus' pliant, more than willing body, had evoked such intense, overwhelming flames of desire within them both. How Magnus had cried out lustily with Alec's passionate lovemaking, arms clinging onto his boyfriend's shoulders, as Alec pounded him into the mattress, both reaching their glorious climaxes, Alec following closely after Magnus'. 

Now Alec glared ferociously at Magnus, pinning him with his blazing eyes, bitter disappointment and righteous fury reeking out of his tense, tightly coiled form. Beside him, Jace's face had crumpled with grief and pity for Magnus, shaking his head vehemently, and now he placed a placating hand onto his Parabatai's arm, as he turned to him to speak up for Magnus. 

"Alec! That's not fair! Magnus was in so much pain, I wanted to help him heal quicker, I was the one who asked him to take my strength, so he'd recover from his wounds faster. He didn't know it'd make me collapse! And besides, Magnus loves you, he would never do anything to even hurt me, 'cause I'm your Parabatai."

"Don't try to defend him, he's the all powerful High Warlock, son of the Prince of Hell himself, he doesn't need anyone's help or pity, he's got it all figured out!" With that final stab into Magnus' already torn apart heart, Alec rose to his feet, taking a step forward towards Magnus, his index finger pointing at him accusingly.

"Don't you, hm?? You summoned your father here to take Jace away, you planned this all along, didn't you, you and daddy dearest," Alec conjectured, as he stabbed his finger repeatedly into the center of Magnus' torso - right over the still healing stab wound, much to Jace's distress. 

"No Alec, don't! Please, stop doing this!" Jace jumped up and yanked Alec's offending hand away from Magnus, who stood stock still, unshed tears glimmering in his deep amber eyes, an anguished expression of disbelief marring his usually pleasant features. 

Magnus reached out towards Jace, a small grateful smile bravely wavering on his lips - only to have his arm roughly pushed aside by Alec, who then grabbed him by the front of his shirt with both large hands, hauling him up close to glare hatefully down at his own boyfriend. 

"Don't you dare touch my Parabatai," he hissed threateningly to Magnus, then  _flung_ him away, towards the coffee table, causing Magnus to crash heavily backwards into it, falling from its other side, painfully landing on his side on the hard floor. 

"Magnus!" Jace cried out in horror, lunging forward to help, only to have Alec hold him back, as Asmodeus walked over to his son and helped him up, a sardonic smirk lurking on his lips. 

"Oh how the mighty have fallen, hm, my son?" Asmodeus chuckled darkly, his golden green glare flitting from Alec to Jace, then back again. "Your beloved boy toy is nothing more than yet another big bully."

Magnus hung his head dejectedly, refusing to allow his father to see the grief and hurt displayed on his features, even as tears escaped from his lowered lashes and dribbled into his goatee. His right side throbbed and ached painfully from his fall, and his stab wound burned dully from the poking it'd been subjected to. Gathering his composure, Magnus steeled himself to bring his heaving breaths back to normal, looking back up at the Parabatai pair across the room. 

Magnus gazed first at Jace's anguished, tear-stained face. He seemed resigned to his fate, unable to pluck up any vestiges of his courage any further. Regret and remorse danced within his gaze, as he stared pleadingly at Magnus.

Standing next to him, Alec didn't look that much different from his Parabatai. He glared at Magnus accusingly, steadfast in his relentless self-righteousness. The Parabatai pair both had the appearance of not being ready to say their final farewells to each other. 

Magnus would be thrice-damned if he'd let them be separated in such an inglorious way. If it were not for his appearance in their lives, they wouldn't be in this heartwrenching situation in the first place.

Drawing himself up into an almost regal posture, Magnus turned his body towards his father, looking up at him with a small smile. Hearing Alec's derisive scoff ringing in his ears, he began to offer his terms to his father. 

"Remember your alternative offer to me, just a few days ago?" Magnus asked Asmodeus, his smile widening in a deceptively pleasant manner. Across from them, Alec bristled angrily, barely being pulled back by Jace. 

Asmodeus' eyes widened a fraction, then he shook his head in disbelief, chuckling darkly yet again. It seemed he would finally gain what he coveted all along from his favorite son. He straightened his stance, preparing himself for Magnus' final word. 

"Are you absolutely certain, my son? There's no turning back," Asmodeus warned him forebodingly. 

With the same almost beatific smile wreathing his face, Magnus replied, "Yes, Father."

With a swirly motion of his hand, Asmodeus had possession of Alec's seraph blade - which he then plunged swiftly deep into Magnus' torso - right into the still healing former stab wound - staring down almost pitifully into Magnus' now unglamored golden cat eyes. 

From across the room, both Parabatais had been stunned into shocked stillness. At hearing Magnus' agonized wheeze for breath, Jace lunged forward towards where the father and son pair were standing. 

"Magnus!" Jace screamed in pure anguish, halting as Asmodeus then pulled Alec's seraph blade out from Magnus' body - with one vicious  _yank -_ while still holding his limp form up, by grabbing him painfully in between his shoulder blades. 

As reddish waves of magic began floating freely out from Magnus' copiously bleeding core, Asmodeus opened his mouth wide, inhaling all of it into his being in one deep satisfied gulp. 

"As I have gained the essence of your immortality from within your soul with your own free will, I declare Jace Herondale's debt to Lilith null and void - he shall remain alive and well, and untouched by both Lilith and Jonathan, as per your request - while you shall retain your magical powers, even though you shall remain as a mortal being - my gift to you, my son, as reward for your ingenious dealings in reaching this wonderful compromise. Pleasure doing business with you all."

With that final decree, Asmodeus released his son from his hold, causing Magnus to fall to the floor in a graceless slump, while Asmodeus disappeared in a whirling whoosh of inky black smoke. 

" _Magnus!"_ Alec's tortured wail pierced through the seconds of stunned silence that followed Asmodeus' departure. Jace fell to his knees next to Magnus' curled form, his trembling hands gently cupping the back of Magnus' head and neck off the floor, tears streaming freely down his cheeks. 

Alec had jumped over the coffee table and crashed to his knees, landing on Magnus' other side, flushed with shame and remorse, his face crumpled in anguished guilt, tears falling in rapid succession. His hands hovered shakily over his boyfriend's fallen form, as he stared at the deep gushing wound, blood sluggishly purging out of Magnus' torn flesh, dripping to form a gradually growing dark red pool beneath him. Alec's bloodstained seraph blade lay next to Magnus', glinting in the moonlight shimmering through the sheer curtains of the balcony doors. 

"By the Angel, Alec, he's  _bleeding to death_!" Jace sobbed out loud, laying Magnus' head on his lap then placing his hand directly onto the stab wound. Magnus flinched weakly, a soft moan bubbling from his throat, his eyes rolling back up into his head. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Magnus, we need to put some pressure on it, you're losing too much blood!"

"Magnus?" Alec murmured right into Magnus' ear, one of his own hands joining Jace's on the bleeding wound, as the other cupped his boyfriend's ashen cheek tenderly. "I know it's asking a lot, but can you -" - Alec sobbed bitterly at having to ask for Magnus' favor after all he'd done to him earlier, now that he lay gravely injured, bleeding out on the floor of his own loft - "can you portal us to the Institute's infirmary, please? The medics there can tend to you." 

Magnus' eyes - forever a deep amber now - opened to gaze up at Alec's weeping face, as he reached up weakly, to tenderly brush away the tears streaming down Alec's cheeks, with a shaky hand. With an anguished sob, Alec grasped his beloved's hand and pressed a loving kiss into his palm, then held it to his chest, as he leaned in close and tearfully kissed his pale lips softly, his tears falling onto Magnus' ashen face. 

"I'm  _so sorry, so so sorry,_ love," Alec sobbed, his chest heaving, as he struggled to breathe through the agonizing guilt wrenching deep in his gut. He'd been so wrong, he'd been blinded by sheer panic; he'd lashed out and struck out at the one person who had been nothing but kind and loving to him - who'd always had his best interests at heart, and had now performed the ultimate sacrifice - his own immortality in exchange for his ungrateful boyfriend's Parabatai. Alec felt like jumping down from the balcony; so great was his shame and remorse towards his magnanimous boyfriend. 

With a weak shake of his head, Magnus summoned up a brave little smile just for Alec, then raised his trembling arms and opened a portal, heaving weakly with the exertion - and fell back onto Jace with a tortured moan of agony. Alec lurched forward and gathered his beloved's now unconscious form into his arms, with Jace helping him to stand up. Together, they stepped into the portal, arriving at the Institute's infirmary within seconds. Behind them the portal fizzled closed. 

The two medics stationed inside sprang into action when they saw Magnus' badly bleeding form. They urged Alec to place Magnus onto the nearest patient trolley, whilst grabbing all they needed for emergency surgery to repair the deep tear in Magnus' flesh. Alec gently deposited his boyfriend as they ordered, stooping to press a loving kiss onto Magnus' cool forehead; he was ghostly white from the pallor to his skin - a stark contrast to the tanned warmth Alec was so used to. 

Jace wrapped a supportive arm around Alec, as he began steering him away from hindering the medics' efforts to repair and revive Magnus. Alec had slumped into a slouch, his arms wrapped tightly around himself, uncaring of Magnus' blood all over his clothes, and staining his arms and hands a deep, garish red. Jace couldn't bear the thought of Magnus having willingly shed so much of his life-giving blood, just so Jace could remain by Alec's side as his Parabatai.

The sheer strength and fortitude of Magnus' selfless love and compassion made Jace weep in shame. His Parabatai had gravely misunderstood Magnus' kind intentions, sadly hurting him in the process by being so rough and callous with him. Magnus hadn't rebutted at all, Jace recalled, simply standing in front of them and taking the abuse in his stride. Now he lay injured in the Infirmary, with emergency surgery being performed on his newly mortal body. Jace fervently prayed to the Angels for Magnus to pull through. He didn't think Alec would ever survive otherwise. 

"I hurt him, Jace," Alec whispered in horror, now slumped into one of the seats along the hallway, his hands clutching at his hair. "He's been nothing but loving, and gracious, and kind - all those awful, horrible things I said - how badly hurt he must've felt!" Alec sobbed unconsolably into his palms, tears seeping through and falling down his bloodstained arms, rivulets of his tears mixed with Magnus' blood dripping into his lap. 

Jace could only hug him tightly, his own throat clogged with deep sorrow. All they could do now was wait. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of a new era.


	10. Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here in this Institute, where he had some semblance of authority as its Head, Alec found a certain sort of inner peace, amidst intermittent bouts of reeling self-doubt and unrelenting guilt, which continued to plague him even now. With his Parabatai and his beloved boyfriend both faithfully by his side, Alec Lightwood could overcome any obstacle that came their way - now that the veils of their hearts had been lifted - stripped away by boundless, all encompassing love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Magnus is now a magical mortal. 
> 
> Jace discovers that he is capable of sharing platonic love. 
> 
> Alec remains forever thankful.

Jace looked up from adjusting his thigh holster which held his seraph blade, as he walked out of his bedroom to join his Parabatai, who had strolled out from his and Magnus' shared bedroom, with Magnus close behind him, handing him his bow and quiver. 

"Ready?" Jace asked, the question directed at both of them. The couple nodded, and then Magnus opened a portal - leading straight into the Institute's ready room, where all of its Shadowhunters had already gathered, at having received the Institute-wide message their Head had sent out half an hour earlier. 

Exchanging fond looks with each other, the trio arranged themselves into a tight formation of sorts, much like an arrowhead - with Alec in the middle, Magnus on his left, and Jace on his right. As Magnus held Alec's heart in his hands, so did Jace hold the mantle of being Alec's right-hand man.

The fact that Jace now had permanent residence in Magnus' loft was fodder for rumors of a scandalous controversial relationship. Only the three of them were truly aware of Magnus' and Alec's exclusivity, sharing their lovemaking with no one else, even as they shared their home and hearts with Jace. They had slept side by side, all three of them, on several occasions, whenever any one of them suffered vividly graphic nightmares from their torture, or of one or the other member of their triumvarate dying in gory details. Each such episode had resulted in them holding and hugging one another back to sleep, reveling in the unique comfort and peace such an arrangement yielded without fail. 

Such was the bond between Parabatai; when one was consumed by feelings of self-hatred and overwhelming doubts, the other would have to open his heart up and extend the healing nature of platonic love - the compassionate love one being held for another, above all else. Magnus being his gracious and ever understanding self, never turned Jace away whenever he sought out Alec's comfort, just as Jace always welcomed them both with open arms, whenever Magnus sought his help to soothe and reassure a nightmare ridden, panicky Alec, back to the realm of reality. 

Now, as they stood on the raised platform, peering down towards where all gathered Shadowhunters gazed up respectfully at them, the trio had never been stronger together, united in their commitment to carry on the good fight, as guardians of mundanes, Shadowhunters, and Downworlders alike. 

Today marked exactly one month since Magnus' immortality was taken from him - his pledge to Alec out of his unconditional love, to defend and protect Alec's Parabatai bond, earning himself an immensely grateful Jace's lifelong allegiance. Alec had vowed to himself to always value his beloved boyfriend's tremendous selfless act, by showering him with his heartfelt affections and undying love, for every single day of Magnus' now mortal life. 

Over the past month, while awaiting Magnus' full recovery, Alec had continued holding weekly meetings with the representatives of all Downworlder factions, sharing all information gleaned and intel gathered with Magnus. Even though he was now a mortal, Magnus had retained all of his magic, as had been his father's promise. The only downside was that he tired far more easily after using large bouts of magic, needing to partake of special energy potions and taking many more naps than he ever had, in bids to regain his spent inner energy.

Out of respect and admiration for his heroic behavior, he had retained his title of High Warlock of Brooklyn, with the approval and support of his peers. He now also held the added title of Downworld Ambassador at the New York Institute, cementing his role as emissary-at-large and maintaining vital effective relations amongst all Downworlder factions, the New York Institute, as well as the Clave in Alicante. Many a possible misunderstanding had been avoided, by having Magnus' presence as a wise advisor and shrewd negotiator, soothing ruffled feelings and over turning any negativity, achieving a track record of always obtaining the best possible outcomes for all parties involved. Alec felt beyond blessed to call such a capable and competent emissary as his boyfriend. 

Here in this Institute, where he had some semblance of authority as its Head, Alec found a certain sort of inner peace, amidst intermittent bouts of reeling self-doubt and unrelenting guilt, which continued to plague him even now. With his Parabatai and his beloved boyfriend both faithfully by his side, Alec Lightwood could overcome any obstacle that came their way - now that the veils of their hearts had been lifted - stripped away by boundless, all encompassing love.

Lifting his head up with a determined tilt of his chin, Alec spared a glance at first his Parabatai, then at his Advisor; both of whom shared his soul, and his heart, and thus, his home. Exchanging gratified smiles with one another, the trio then looked back down to their army of Shadowhunters, all ready to do their bidding. Alec took a deep cleansing breath, the first he'd felt truly strong and powerful in a long while. 

With a glint of determination in his hazel eyes, Alec spoke up, "Alright, let's begin."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fan fiction is from my own imagination, my thoughts on the Parabatai bond, as well as Malec's love.  
> Please respect that each and every one of us in the Shadowhunters and Malec Fandoms are Individual beings, with our own thoughts and feelings and how we love these Fictional Characters.  
> Let us all respect and accord openness and acceptance of each other's views and opinions, and be kind to one another.  
> Love above hate, Always.

**Author's Note:**

> My very first fic and I decided to take on Malec. But the Parabatai bond is powerful and persuasive, and Magnus is magical and magnanimous. My muse for this fic convinced me to make Malace endgame. *waves white flag in surrender*
> 
> So I feel there's some clarification needed about the Malace situation.  
> It's not gonna be sexual among them, but there will be some intimacy, more of a deep emotional nature.  
> Think of it as Parabatai bonding + Boyfriend bonding being meshed into a Triumvarate bonding.
> 
> This fic's muse loves Love in all its forms and believes that Love Conquers All.


End file.
